Refrigerator door contruction



June 23, 1953 A. PHILIPP REFRIGERATOR DOOR CONSTRUCTION INVENTOR.Lewes/v05 H PHIL/PP Filed 001;. 24, 1947 Patented June 23, 1953REFRIGERATOR noon consfrntiorroiv Lawrence A. Philip! i Mic assiznor to.Nush Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a

corporation of Maryland Application October .24, 1941, Serial No.781,956 mm. (0.1.

This .invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and moreparticularly to refri erator cabinet doors.

It is an object. of the Present invention to Provide an improvedrefrigerator cabinet door construction, reducing heat leakagetherethrough into the cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refrigerant cabinet doorof the above mentioned character which is inexpensive to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearlyshown.

7 In the drawings;

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet, embodying features ofthe present invention;

Fig. '2 is a fragmentary, cross sectional view of the cabinet door,taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, elevational view, partly broken away and insection of the refrigerator door; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. '2 of a modification .of the invention.

In the drawings, there is shown a refrigerator cabinet, designatedgenerally by the numeral 20. The front of the cabinet. 20 is closed by adoor 22 which may extend substantially from top to bottom of thecabinet. This door 22 may be hinged, as to 24-, to one side of thecabinet. Any suitable type of refrigerating system may be used, such as,the refrigerating system shown in my patent No. 2,361,792, issuedOctober 31, 1944.

The door 22 comprises, in general, an outer or front panel 26 and aninner or rear panel 28. These panels 26, 28 are arranged and attachedtogether, forming a shell in which heat insulation 30 is preferablyprovided to reduce heat seepage through the door. The door outer panel26 is made of sheet metal, preferably steel and is dish-like in shapehaving a top 32, bottom 34 and sides 36. Extending along the rear edgesof the door panel 26 is an inturned reinforcing flange 38 preferablyhaving a forwardly directed, bent flange portion 40 for additionallyreinforcing the panel 26. The inner panel 28 is a flat metallic sheetwhich is preferably made of a light weight material, such as aluminum.

In order to reduce heat transfer or heat conduction between the outerpanel 26 and the inner panel 28, I make the inner panel 28 of a reducedsize with respect to its perimeter; arrange the panel with itsouterperipheral edge, as at Ill,

' spaced inwardly ofthe outer .paneldlan e 38 and connect or attach thepanels'together by a plurality of spaced apart extensions or clipfasteners 42. "To-reduce further, conduction or transfer of heat betweenthe door-panels 2.6,, 28,, the clips 42 are madeof a low heat conductingmaterial, preferably stainless steel. A number of these clips .42,widely spaced apart. dependin upon the size of. the door, suitablyattach the panels .26. 2.8 ogether with negligible. heat conductiontherebetween.

A asket 46 is attached t the enter surfac of v th flan e 3.8 to s al thejoint b tween the doo a d fro t fac of the cabinet. asket 4,6 has a Seain or a tachment base 48 which i held between the door flange 38 and aretaineror c mp 50. The retainer flimsy-be an an le member having oneleg thereof seating the seal base 48 and the other leg secured flatagainst the door panel flange portion 40 by screws .52. Outer endportions of the clips 42 seat on the r ar l of the seal retainer :50 andmay be secured to the fr nt panel flan 3.8 Qgethfh-{W th the -.ol'arnp.50 by screws 53.. The gasket 46 has a resilient bumper or .di placeablePortion .54 and an integral, laterally extendinglip 5.5.- 1'.Ih.isgasket overlies and eonceals'theclips and the spaces between the outerperipheraledge ofzthe rear panel 28 and the flange portion of the doorouter panel 26, 50. The clips 42 are bent to form inwardly facing springsockets 56 on their inner ends to receive outer marginal portions of theinner panel 28. These sockets 56 are covered by the gasket lip which hasa downturned inner edge portion 51, engaging the outer surface of thepanel 28 just inwardly of the lips. A retainer bead 58 is'provided onthe inner panel 28, extending along and adjacent the edges of the panelto engage frictionally in the clip sockets 56.

In the modification of Fig. 4, the door comprises in general, adish-like outer panel 60 and an inner panel 62 which may be like thepanels of the above described door. A rubber gasket 84, attached to aninturned flange 66 of the outer panel, has a bumper portion 68 providedwith a laterally extending lip 69 which overlaps 2. marginal portion ofthe inner panel 62 entirely therearound as in the previously describeddoor. A reinforcing, inturned flange portion 10 of the casing preferablyextends entirely around the door and to this flange portion is securedan angle retainer 1| for the rubber gasket 64. One leg of the retainer Hmay be secured to the flange portion 10 by screws 12 or by othersuitable securing or attaching means and the other leg of the angleS-shaped clips 18.

retainer member seats'flat against the outer surface of the seal base,as at 14. As in the previously described door, the inner door panel 62of the modification has an outer peripheral edge 15 spaced inwardly fromthe flange portion to decrease heat transfer between the panels. Toattach the inner panel 62 to the outer panel 60, I provide a pluralityof extension or connect-- ing members 16. These connecting members 16are spaced along the outer peripheral edge of the inner panel 62 and areattached thereto byfasteners or clips 18. Asshown in Fig.-- 4, the.clips 18 are S-shaped presenting oppositely facing sockets forrespectively receiving marginal edge portions of the panel 62 and. ofthe connecting members 16.

connecting members 16 are made of a low heat clips 18 are alsopreferably made of a low heat conducting metal, such as stainless steel.These -olips 18 are also made of a spring or resilient ''stainless steelso that marginal portions of the panel 62 and the connecting memberswill be frictionally held thereby in the sockets of the Preferably,retainer beads 80 and 82 are provided respectively on the panel 62 andon the connecting member 16 to engage in theclip sockets to aidfrictionally in attachment of the parts together.

of the clip extensions or connecting members seat against the outer legof the gasket retainer H and are attached, together with the gasketretainer H, to the outer panel flange 66. To this 'end, the connectingmembers 16, retainer "1|, gasket base 14 and outer panel flange 66 'maybe provided withaligning apertures to recei-ve spring fasteners '84. 1

From the foregoing description it will be noted that I have providedanimproved refrigerator Y door construction of a character to decreaseheat transfer between outer and inner attached together door panels. Byattaching peripherally spaced inner and outer door panels together by-bridging or connecting 'members'spaced around the door panels onlynegligible heat conduction *via the narrow, widely spaced connectors ispossible. In addition, I have provided a refrigerator To decreasefurther conduction of heat between the panels fill, 62 the Outer endportions a from the scope of the appended claim.

I claim-r A refrigerator cabinet door construction comprising, afdoorcasing having an inturned flange formedwitha'reinforcing portion bent toextend forwardly,"a rear panel spaced rearwardly of said flange having-2 n edge spaced inwardly from conducting material, such as plastic,'andthe said flange reinforcing portion to decrease heat conductiontherebetween, a door seal having a base seating on'said flange, an angleclamp having one leg seating on said base'and'the other leg parallelwith andfsecured to. said reinforcing portion to secure the seal to:theflange a plate having an end'portion seating on said .leg and anopposite end portionunderlying said panel,

means attaching said first end portion, leg, base and flange together,resilient means forming a socket on the opposite end portion of saidplate to receive an edge portion of said panel, means on said panelwithinsaid-socket and tensioning the socket forming means, and a rubberextenslon on said seal having a free side extending over said socketforming means. 7

LAWRENCE; A. PHILIPP.

, References Cited in themed this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I,Name I Date 1,940,655 Wallace et al. Dec. 19, 1933 1,985,286 ForsthoefelDec. 25, 1934 2,169,198 Schweller Aug..8, 1939 2,206,717 v Dodge July 2,1940 2,242,335 Yoxsimer May 20,1941 2,276,742 Schmidt Mar. 17, 19422,296,024 Drake Sept. 15, .1942 2,309,001 Nave et al. Jan. 19,1943

2,366,894 Ellsworth Jan. 9, 1945

